Digital photography is an increasingly popular form of photography. However, most photographers still want hard copies of their pictures for archival, sharing and display purposes. Conventional prints from photofinishers are far superior to most prints made from home based printers because many home based printers use conventional ink jet technology. Such conventional, ink jet printers are low cost devices and they provide printed images having a range of quality levels, some of which are unacceptable, others that fade quickly, and some that have good color and long life. Recently, thermal dye transfer printers have emerged as a consumer favorite for use in home printing of color digital images. Such printers create an image from sequential patches of different colors of donor material and apply a clear, protective coating to the finished print. These printers reproduce excellent images that are quite durable and generally superior to images made with conventional ink jet printers.
In a typical thermal dye transfer printer, a donor supply roller is on one side of the thermal printing head and it supplies a web of thermal dye transfer donor material. The donor web travels across a linear array of heat elements (heat line) that are selectively operated to transfer donor material from the donor web to a receiver web. The used donor web is wound on a donor take-up roller. The web of donor material may comprise a single color for monotone printing, but it preferably comprises at least three sequential sections of different colors in order to provide full-color print and a clear section for applying a protective cover on the print.
Beneath the print head is a cylindrical platen. The platen is coupled to a suitable drive such as a platen stepper motor by a suitable transmission such as a belt. High quality paper for receiving the dye transfer image is stored on a paper supply roll. The web of receiver paper is withdrawn from its supply roller and travels along a printing path that leads it between the platen and the donor web at the location of the print head. After transfer of the donor material, the receiver web is advanced by rollers toward a separating station where a knife separates sequential images from each other. Severed pieces of the receiver web with printed images are deposited in a discharge hopper.
Receiver supply rollers are normally manufactured in elongated rolls that are several feet or a meter in length or more. The long rolls are cut into smaller length rolls that fit into a typical kiosk thermal dye printing machine. The cutting action leaves a residue of unwanted particle of dust and debris that stick to the edge of the web as it is withdrawn from the roll. The sticking may be due to electrostatic, van der Waals, or other forces. Unless the particles are removed, they may jam the printer or fall onto the prints and reduce the quality of the image on the print.
In order to solve this problem, cleaners are typically placed along and against an edge of receiver supply rollers. The cleaners are typically made from a pliable synthetic foam material that bears gently against opposite edges of the receiver web to capture and remove dust and debris particles one the edge. Over time the cleaners accumulate more debris and dust than they can reliably hold. The cleaners must be periodically serviced and either cleaned or replaced with new cleaners. If printer operation and maintenance personnel ignore the recommended maintenance regimen, printer operation can be impaired so that it requires extensive cleaning or reconditioning. Unfortunately, this occurs with a certain degree of installed printers and is a source of manufacture warranty work that could be prevented by timely cleaning or replacement of the foam web cleaners. What is needed in the art is an automatic cleaning system for use with a thermal printer that does not itself require maintenance.